Swift response should end coronavirus crisis soon

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2020 16:45:46 +0000

SINCE the Wuhan coronavirus crisis began last December 31, 2019, the Philippine government has been quick to ensure that the country is safe from the new disease that has already spread to some countries around the globe.

The Department of Health (DoH) said 11 foreign nationals – Chinese, Americans, Germans, and Brazilians – were immediately isolated and their illness monitored and three have already been declared negative for the virus and discharged from the hospital. Sixteen more foreigners have since been added to the cases under close watch.

The first indication of crisis in China was on December 31 when the Wuhan Municipal Health Committee Medical Administration issued an “urgent notice on the treatment of pneumonia of unknown cause.” Adding urgency to the emergency was the impending Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, when hundreds of millions travel to their homes all over China, a country of 1.3 billion people.

China President Xi Jinping mobilized the country’s resources, saying, “Party committees, government and relevant departments must put people’s lives and health first.” The Chinese government immediately coordinated with the World Health Organization (WHO) as it acted to contain the spread of the virus to other cities. Three days before the festival, Wuhan was quarantined.

China mobilized its medical experts to identify the virus, while treating those infected. On January 25 the China Center for Disease Control isolated the virus and started developing a vaccine. “WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed China’s quick action to contain the spread of the virus in Wuhan and other cities.

As of January 27, fatalities were reported at 81 in China, mostly among older men with previous health issues. This compares with two previous virus crises – the SARS crisis of 2002-2003 which killed 774 and the MERS-CoV crisis in South Korea which killed 38.

China’s National Health Commission reported a total of 3,744 confirmed infections nationwide, and some 30,000 under observation. The Ministry of Finance said a total
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